You might think that a spree of first ascents of Ethiopia’s virgin 600’ sandstone towers would be enough fodder for a slideshow, but to Majka Burhardt, Ethiopia offered more. A lot more. Burhardt is currently touring the USA to lecture on the information she presents in her new book Vertical Ethiopia: Climbing Toward Possibility in the Horn of Africa.

Burhardt initially traveled to Ethiopia to research the country’s coffee industry. During her exploration, she found Ethiopia’s unclimbed Indian Creek-esque splitters and ultimately a desire to portray the war-torn nation more accurately than traditional Western media has.

In this regard, Burhardt says that Vertical Ethiopia “is a story about the making of an Ethiopian product at a time when the nation is on the brink of becoming a global industrial player while trudging through the vestiges of its communist and corrupt past.”

Mingle with friends, filmmakers, guest speakers and athletes while enjoying a weekend in the Roaring Fork Valley at the upcoming 5POINT Film Festival.

The 5POINT Film Festival will present a wide range of films and guest speakers to suit outdoors enthusiasts of every sort. Topics will cover everything from skiing, climbing, kayaking, biking, surfing, and base jumping to fly fishing and bow hunting.

Guest speakers in a panel discussion on the wilderness and outdoor legacy include: Gerry Lopez, Tommy and Mike Caldwell, Michael and Hayden Kennedy, Kate and Mark Rutherford, Rush and Peter Sturges, Louie and Lou Dawson, and Eric Weihenmayer.

David Breashears’ film reflecting on the fateful storm that resulted in the deaths of five climbers on the mountain’s South Col in 1996. Check local listings.

Beth Heller, Preservation Librarian, will present “19th Century Publisher’s Bindings: One Hundred Years of Mountaineering”. By looking at examples of these interesting bindings from the Rare Books room we will trace the movement of book production, from an early 1800’s example of a hand-bound volume created for a wealthy owner, to a decade-by-decade look at the transformation of book design through innovations in mechanization, mass production, and public readership till 1900. The AAC’s collection of Publisher’s Bindings is unique because it gathers a group of truly beautiful gilt and stamped designs portraying mountains and mountaineering. This event is free to FOL members, and $10 to AAC and CMC members and the general public.

The Rendezvous is the annual fundraising gig for the New River Alliance of Climbers (NRAC). It's a fun and friendly three-day celebration of climbers, climbing and the New River Gorge. Gather with friends, relax, compete, play, laugh and climb here in the laid back atmosphere of Southern West Virginia--America's best kept secret!

Imagine being stranded in the backcountry of the Colorado mountains without appropriate overnight gear, tools or food. What do you do? This class will teach you the basics of safety and how to ensure that you are prepared mentally and physically for a day or overnight in the mountains of Colorado.

The 30th anniversary Telluride Mountainfilm Festival will take place on Memorial Day weekend, 2008. Building on the platform of sustainability, the theme in 2008 will be "water," with top researchers, scientists, and activists leading the interactive Moving Mountains Symposium on water for the festival's opening day.

Mountainfilm in Telluride prides itself on being solution-oriented.

Come listen to some cool music , socialize with well known Everest guide and climber Luis Benitez and the AAC Peak Experience guides crew at the Museum’s lively K-2 Lounge ( cash bar). At 8PM , time to ascend to the Gallery for a book launch by well known author Maria Coffey on the mind-body connection of Extreme Athletes. No admission charge for this event.

Into the Unknown -Illustrated Talk about the remarkable Gunks Pioneer Hans Kraus by Climbing Magazine Feature Writer Susan Schwartz. There is no admission charge for this event.

The seventh annual Teva Mountain Games® will host the first World Cup Climbing event on United States’ soil in close to 20 years, June 4-8, 2008, in Vail, Colorado. In partnership with USA Climbing and the Town of Vail, the Teva Mountain Games® was successfully awarded this World Cup climbing competition by sport climbing’s governing body, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC).

The AAC, led by officials and a team of volunteers, will host the first ever official woman mountaineering exchange, entitiled " the Spirit of Climbing", for 5 women climbers from the CMA, mid June, in Jackson Hole Wyoming. This will be the first time any CMA women climbers have come to the US to climb. AAC officials and volunteers will take them out to sample a variety of classic Teton Climbs, mixed with sightseeing in Jackson and Yellowstone.

The AAC, led by officials and a team of volunteers, will host the first ever official woman mountaineering exchange, entitiled " the Spirit of Climbing", for 5 women climbers from the CMA, mid June, in Jackson Hole Wyoming. This will be the first time any CMA women climbers have come to the US to climb. AAC officials and volunteers will take them out to sample a variety of classic Teton Climbs, mixed with sightseeing in Jackson and Yellowstone.

High in the Himalaya a world-class adventurer dies, leaving a wife, three small sons and a best friend to cope with their grief and, ultimately, find healing in the creation of a new family. Please come join Jennifer Lowe Anker for a reading &/or Discussion, Q&A & signing of her book, "Forget Me Not", at 7:30 pm at the Tattered Cover Bookstore, Denver, CO.

Climbing, hiking ,canoeing and partying in the High Peaks area of the Adirondacks. Subscription information will be available by mid-May.

The Teton Climbers' Camp returns to the Grand Teton Climbers' Ranch. Stay tuned to Activities will be announced soon.

Climbing, community, parties, fun, friendly competition, learning, remembering and celebrating... These are the goals for the 15th annual International Climbers’ Festival (ICF)! This year’s festival will be held July 9th - 13th, 2008 in the quaint mountain town of Lander, Wyoming. The celebration will feature slideshows, climbing clinics, a trade fair, a film festival, contests, parties and of course, world-class climbing!

Here’s what happened during the 2007 Facelift:

The 2007 Facelift was very successful. The final count was 2,945 volunteers that contributed 18,335 man hours. The cleaning was contagious as people jumped in to help participants fill their bags. The Park Service valued the work at $344,148.00. 132 miles of roadway were cleaned. Items including toilet paper, cigarette butts, and micro-trash were removed from the woods at all turnouts throughout the park. 80 plus miles of trails were cleaned and the Merced River Corridor was cleaned from Happy Isles to the NPS Warehouse in El Portal. All lodging, campgrounds, and housing areas in the Valley and Tuolumne were cleaned. Certain abandoned infrastructures were removed which was the majority of the weight. In all over 42,330 pounds were collected and everything that could be recycled was. About 32,000 pounds of the weight was from special projects we took on, helping rid the park of old infrastructure that NPS does not have funding to remove.

Close to 400 people attended the reception following the cleanup and enjoyed the free food and beverages provided by Delaware North Parks & Resorts at Yosemite. Thanks to over 70 sponsors who donated an array of prizes, participants were rewarded with a daily raffle and a final raffle during the reception.

Volunteers world-wide showed up to do their part in being land stewards. YCA thanks all the volunteers who showed up and made the Facelift a success. Without them this event wouldn't have been possible. Everyone had a great time and many old friends and new were brought together during this event. We look forward to next years Facelift and hope to see you all there!

Hell is an endurance style climbing comp at the widely known Horseshoe Canyon Ranch near Jasper, Arkansas. In the fall, teams of two will descend upon the Ranch to endure severe fatigue, dehydration, bloody fingertips and an unforgettable climbing experience. These teams will have 24 continuous hours to put in as many clean climbs as humanly possible on the hundreds of sport and trad routes on the Ranch. There is a point system for the various grades and all climbs must be put up on lead in clean style. Night climbing is key, and will be allowed/encouraged

Indian Creek, Utah is home to the world's best crack climbing. The Creek's endless splitters of all sizes and lengths offer up challenges of endurance and strength and have been a worldwide climbing destination for over three decades, making it the perfect location for hosting the American Alpine Club's 2008 International Climbing Meet.

Twenty Ninth Annual Black Tie Dinner. Union Club, New York City. Invitations and subscription information to this perennial sellout will be in the mail by early October.